Hong Kong is dropping a ban on visitors arriving in the city for the first time since the pandemic started. In a surprise announcement, Hong Kong said it would open its borders to visitors from May 1, the first time in two years, unlocking strict border controls that effectively shut the international financial hub off from the outside world as it mirrored mainland China’s strict zero-COVID policies.

The city drew about 56 million visitors in 2019 before virus restrictions dragged that figure to nearly zero, dealing a blow to the city’s economy and sparking an expatriate exodus.

Friday’s move comes a day after Hong Kong allowed venues including gyms, theme parks, beauty parlors and movie theaters to reopen after a four-month closure sparked by an omicron-fuelled outbreak that left its strict virus measures in tatters. Until earlier this year, Hong Kong had avoided the worst of the pandemic with few infections or deaths.

Under the new rules, travelers will take a rapid Covid test at the airport, and those who are negative can head to a designated quarantine hotel for seven days.

Thailand on Friday announced the end of compulsory Covid-19 tests for vaccinated travellers, as the country steps up efforts to revive its pandemic-thumped tourism industry.

Thailand’s Covid-19 taskforce said that from May 1, fully vaccinated visitors would no longer have to take a test on arrival and wait in a hotel room for the result. Taskforce spokesperson Taweesin Visanuyothin said authorities will now only require arrivals to show proof of vaccination and health insurance coverage of at least $10,000.

“This will propel the economic (recovery) momentum since we are a country that relies quite heavily on tourism,” said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha. Unvaccinated travellers will either need to show a negative test result taken within 72 hours of departure for Thailand or undergo five days of hotel quarantine and a test.

Earlier this month, Thailand dropped the requirement for mandatory pre-arrival Covid tests. Hotels, resorts and tour operators have long been pushing for hassle-free entry rules in an effort to lure more foreign tourists.

The kingdom faces an uphill battle to bounce back from its worst economic performance since the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Experts estimate around five million international visitors will come to Thailand this year, down from nearly 40 million in 2019.

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